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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466265">we wish you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisylincs/pseuds/daisylincs'>daisylincs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Daisy Johnson is a little shit, F/M, Failed Set-Ups, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Humor, Jemma Simmons Is A Little Shit, Lincoln Campbell Is A Little Shit, New Year celebrations, New year kisses, Post-Season/Series 02 AU, Shippiness, because this is a fluff; humour and happiness fic!!, but we love them for it, set-ups, that... still end up being good all around, they're all little shits</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:33:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,970</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466265</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisylincs/pseuds/daisylincs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's a <i>great</i> plan," he agreed, grinning widely at her. "This way, they <i>have</i> to make out at midnight!" </p>
<p>"Can't break the sacred rule of the midnight kiss," she agreed, her eyes sparkling as she grinned back. "It's pretty perfect." </p>
<p>Or: Daisy and Lincoln concoct a genius plan to set Fitz and Jemma up at the annual SHIELD New Year's party - except maybe their plan isn't quite as clever as they thought, and it's <i>them</i> who are being set up.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leo Fitz &amp; Jemma Simmons &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson &amp; Lincoln Campbell, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Lincoln Campbell/Skye | Daisy Johnson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>we wish you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey, guys! And... insane as it is, it is now officially one minute to 2021 in my timezone!! Yes, I'm this much of a dork that I waited for one minute till the new year to post my last fic of 2020 - because, come on, we all know I'm a sap, and officially joining fandom this year has been INCREDIBLY special. And I always knew I wanted my last fic to be something special - going out for the year with a bang (or a kiss, as it were :D)</p>
<p>This is an AoS AU set right after season 2, with the small modification that Lincoln joined SHIELD pretty much right after, and got settled in nicely. Oh, and Jemma never got swallowed by the bloody Monolith - in short, it's happy families time!! </p>
<p>So yeah! Here's to a 2021 filled with LOADS more wonderful fandom experiences and milestones, and above all, friends!! I love you guys all to PIECES, and thank you so, so much for this year together 💜 Crazy or no, it's been nothing short of incredible to have you all!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap! </i>
</p>
<p>Lincoln glanced up from his clipboard at the sound, stopping mid-messy sentence to meet Daisy Johnson's gaze through the clear doors of the med bay. </p>
<p>"Lincoln," she mouthed, tapping the glass again. </p>
<p>Beside him, Jemma lowered her clipboard too, an entirely-too-knowing expression on her face. "Oooooh," she said, and he could swear she was <i>smirking.</i> "Best go and see what she wants." </p>
<p>He flicked his pen at her, and she ducked it smoothly, popping up again with a bright smile on her face. "Go on," she said, and there was something downright impish in the sparkle in her brown eyes. "You don't want to keep her waiting." </p>
<p>Lincoln narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to fire back with a pointed retort about her and Fitz, but, before he could actually say anything, Daisy apparently decided they had taken long enough, and pushed open the doors of the med bay. </p>
<p>"Sorry, Jem," she said, not looking sorry at all, "can I steal Lincoln for a minute?" </p>
<p>Not giving Jemma a chance to reply, Daisy darted in, grabbed Lincoln by the sleeve, and pulled him out into the hallway, tossing a quick "thanks!" to Jemma over her shoulder. </p>
<p>For his part, Lincoln tried to push down the heady flood of tingles shooting up his arm from where she had touched him - <i>he</i> was the one with electricity powers here, dammit - while also hopefully keeping his face interested but completely platonic as he turned to look at her. </p>
<p><i>Completely platonic,</i> he repeated once in his head for good measure. <i>No thinking about how amazing her new haircut looks, or how stunning she is when she half-tilts her head and smirks like that, or - </i></p>
<p>Shit. This little crush of his was becoming a <i>problem.</i> </p>
<p>He had joined SHIELD, no matter how reluctantly it had initially been, to <i>help</i> people - decidedly not to develop hopeless crushes on quake-powered friends, no matter how badass and beautiful and brave they were.</p>
<p>… Though, fine, maybe Daisy <i>had</i> had something to do with him deciding to join SHIELD - but he <i>did</i> want to help people, he really did. And SHIELD, despite what he had thought for a long time, actually did that, he saw it now <i>(three guesses</i> who had helped him see that, coming to his apartment a week or so after the Jiaying thing and hammering on his door until he'd <i>had</i> to let her in, then sitting on his bed and in turn explaining, cajoling and telling stories to get him to join her team. He really <i>hadn't</i> wanted to see it at first, but Daisy was… persistent. </p>
<p>And when he'd actually gone to SHIELD, and grudgingly started helping out with the Inhuman section in their medical department… well, he'd seen that Daisy was quite right, they really <i>were</i> helping people here.) </p>
<p>Like, for example, the Inhuman who had accidentally transitioned due to those darned fish oil pills a few days ago. </p>
<p>"Is this about Kathryn Shaw?" he asked, snapping back to the present and quirking his eyebrows at her. "Because Jemma and I were just running her test results, and apart from a weird love for angsty dystopian-future novels, she seems to be adjusting really well -" </p>
<p>"No, no, it's not about her," Daisy cut him off, waving a hand in the general direction of the med-bay. "Though… that <i>is</i> a good thing, I'm very glad for her."</p>
<p>He nodded once, agreeing, and thinking with a touch of hopeless fondness how <i>incredible</i> Daisy was for caring so much, even for someone she had basically just met, and even after everything she had just been through. </p>
<p>That was one of the many, <i>many</i> amazing things about Daisy Johnson - she wore her heart on her sleeve, and it was the most <i>amazingly</i> compassionate, kind and caring (and occasionally <i>hilariously</i> sarcastic) heart. </p>
<p>"It's actually about the New Year party," Daisy said, jolting him back to the present - <i>(again -</i> focus, <i>Campbell.)</i></p>
<p>He must have pulled some kind of face, because she threw up her hands impatiently. "Come on, surely you knew it was happening!" </p>
<p>"No, I somehow managed to miss all the giant New Year's Party banners all over the base," he deadpanned. "And that's not even <i>mentioning</i> Hunter's relentless gloating about the midnight kisses."</p>
<p>"He's the <i>worst,"</i> Daisy agreed, briefly squeezing her eyes shut - but her smile, wry as it was, had a definite measure of fondness behind it. "Though… he <i>is</i> right, just this once."</p>
<p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lincoln said, a smirk beginning to tug at his lips as he raised his hands slowly. "Did you just say <i>Hunter was right?"</i> </p>
<p>Daisy crossed her arms, glaring, but he could see her biting back a grin. "If you tell him, I'll quake your ass into the next century," she warned, but her eyes were sparkling too much to give the threat any real weight. </p>
<p>"Hmm, I think I'll take my chances," he teased, ducking away with a dramatically horrified expression when she sent a tiny quake his way. </p>
<p>He retaliated by lightly shocking her arm, causing all the hairs on it - and, to her dismay, the hair on her head, too - to stand straight up on end. </p>
<p>"Lincoln!" she half-shrieked, half-threatened, her hands flying up to her hair and (uselessly) trying to flatten it back down. </p>
<p>Enjoying the breathlessness with which she said his name just a <i>little</i> too much, he asked, complete with wide, innocent blue eyes, "hmmm?" </p>
<p>Daisy wasn't fooled for a second, and, narrowing her eyes, she gave him a murder stare that was scarily like May's (though, unfortunately for her, the effect was just <i>slightly</i> ruined by her hair still standing straight up on her head.) </p>
<p><i>"Fix. It,"</i> she ordered, and, <i>damn,</i> if it wasn't <i>definitely</i> Daisy in front of him, he would've sworn it was May herself - if May ever stuck her hand in an electric socket and then yelled at him, that is. </p>
<p>Nodding solemnly, and biting the inside of his cheek very hard to keep from bursting into laughter again, he shocked her again, this time lower on her arm - and as though obeying a silent signal, all her hair flopped down, falling right across her face and over her eyes. </p>
<p>She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes, and he thought, with no small amount of admiration, that he had never seen the gesture look so threatening. (The rest of his headspace was dedicated to fearing for his life.) </p>
<p>When she had successfully cleared all the hair off her face, smoothing it back into something that vaguely resembled a style, she looked at him - just looked at him, arms crossed - for a long, <i>long</i> moment. </p>
<p>Then she huffed, rolling her eyes. "You're <i>very lucky,"</i> she said, stepping forward and poking his chest with one finger, "that I need your help for the New Year's party, otherwise you would be six feet under right about now." She flashed him an angelic smile. "Literally." </p>
<p>"Great, great," he said, trying his best to smile back at her in a calm, natural and distinctly <i>not</i> oh-my-God-Daisy-Johnson-just-poked-me-in-the-chest-and-is-also-currently-smiling-at-me-please-help kind of way. </p>
<p>She snorted, and, somewhat to his relief, and equally to his dismay, pulling her hand away so she could fold her arms again. "Yeah, yeah," she said, shaking her head with just a hint of affection. "Anyway, so. Midnight kisses." </p>
<p>Lincoln felt a sharp jolt shoot through him, like electricity, but unfortunately he happened to know it had <i>nothing</i> to do with his powers. "Midnight kisses," he said, nodding once, <i>totally</i> not awkwardly. "Okay. Sure. Yup. Absolutely. What do you want to do about those?" </p>
<p>Daisy squinted at him for a moment, something he couldn't name flashing in her eyes. "What, do you have plans, pretty boy?" </p>
<p>She said it casually, almost carelessly, but he didn't miss the way her eyes were fixed on his, searching his face for any kind of clue. </p>
<p>(He <i>also</i> didn't miss the way she had called him "pretty boy" - his heart did a kind of delighted shudder at that, in fact - but that wasn't actually the point here.) </p>
<p>He shrugged one shoulder, deliberately casual, and Daisy relaxed slightly. "Good," she said, giving him a tiny smile that, <i>great,</i> sent his heart doing all kinds of flips and somersaults in his chest. "Because I need your help." </p>
<p>His heart froze for a second, and despite the logical, medical part of his brain informing him that such things were, in fact, completely impossible, he could have <i>sworn</i> it performed a whole acrobatics routine. </p>
<p><i>Calm. The hell. Down,</i> he told himself firmly, imagining May's disapproving face and involuntarily shocking himself and sending his <i>own</i> hair sticking up in staticky spikes. (Fortunately for him, Daisy didn't notice, because, as she <i>loved</i> to tease him, it was permanently in that state.) </p>
<p>But back to the problem at hand. </p>
<p><i>She didn't mean it like that,</i> he told himself, repeating emphatically for good measure, <i>she did</i> not <i>mean it like that. </i></p>
<p>For all her compassion and concern for others, Daisy wasn't used to receiving those same emotions directed back at <i>her</i> - and it had made her cautious to let people in; hesitant to trust. </p>
<p>So he was honoured - <i>honoured</i> - to count himself as one of the people she trusted, as her <i>friend.</i> </p>
<p>And the absolute <i>last</i> thing he'd <i>ever</i> want to do is put that trust and friendship at risk, least of all with his stupid, out-of-control feelings. </p>
<p>And <i>no,</i> brain, it didn't matter how freaking amazing she was. </p>
<p>(Though she really <i>was</i> freaking amazing.) </p>
<p>But he digressed. </p>
<p>"Sure," he said, smiling warmly at her. "What can I do for you?" </p>
<p>The little smile that had been playing on her lips widened, her cheeks dimpling with pleasure. Her eyes were sparkling, and… uh-oh, he knew that look. </p>
<p>"Wait, wait, wait," he said, holding up one hand and giving her a suspicious once-over. "What are you planning?" </p>
<p><i>"Nothing,"</i> she said, about as convincingly as Hunter trying to deny that it <i>hadn't</i> been him who had replaced Jemma's gluten-free biscuits with the gooiest, most chocolatey brownies he could find in the store. </p>
<p>He just gave her a flat look - hey, she wasn't the only Inhuman who had May as a SO - until she relented, peeking over his shoulder to make sure Jemma was definitely still in the med-bay before turning back to look at him, smirking slightly. </p>
<p>"I was going to tell you anyway," she said, with just a hint of fond exasperation in her eyes, "but I'm sure May will be proud of your unimpressed glare. She has an entire module on that, you know." </p>
<p>"I can't wait to get to it," he said, dead seriously. "As long as it's not at 5am like the t'ai chi, that is." </p>
<p>"Oh, don't worry," she said, equally seriously. "It's at <i>four."</i> </p>
<p>"Ha, ha," he said, shoving her shoulder lightly with his. "You're ridiculous." </p>
<p>"Maybe I am," she said, beaming up at him. "But I'm also a genius." </p>
<p>Stretching up on her tiptoes to check on Jemma again, she said distractedly, "You and Jem are pretty close, right?" </p>
<p>"Well, not as close as you two, obviously," he replied, turning to look into the med bay, too. Jemma caught his eye over her clipboard, throwing him a large wink and mouthing something that looked very much like, <i>flirt.</i> </p>
<p>He made a small throat-cutting motion in reply, but she just snickered as she turned back to her work. </p>
<p>And, honestly. <i>Jemma Simmons</i> lecturing someone on being hopelessly in love? <i>Right. </i></p>
<p>"We're close-ish," he told Daisy, turning away from Jemma with a small eye-roll. "We share the same interest in Inhuman biology, which is nice. We -" </p>
<p>"If you're going to tell me something science-y, stop right there," she said with an exaggerated wince. "I get enough of that from Fitzsimmons." </p>
<p>"Though," she continued, clicking her fingers, "I <i>will</i> need you to say all those science-y things to Jemma tonight." </p>
<p>"I mean, sure," he said. All things considered, this was not the craziest thing Daisy had asked him to do, by <i>far</i> - after all, she had persuaded him, in no short order, to rebel against their Inhuman leader with her and a guy with an axe on their side, to join SHIELD as a field agent and Inhuman specialist, <i>and,</i> the most terrifying of all, to raid May's stash of matcha pocky. </p>
<p>Yeah, talking science to Jemma for one night was <i>nothing</i> to ask. </p>
<p>"Sure," he repeated for good measure. "That won't be a problem." </p>
<p>"Great," Daisy said, with a soft smile that instantly made every part of him just <i>melt.</i> "And do you think you can lead her over to the drinks table just before midnight so I can 'accidentally' bump into her?" </p>
<p>"What, do you want to make out with her?" he asked, giving her a playful nudge with his elbow. </p>
<p>"What? No," she said, rolling her eyes and bumping his elbow right back. "Though, I'm not going to lie, I <i>definitely</i> had a crush on her for a little while back on the Bus." </p>
<p>"Then I got a <i>serious</i> crush on Ward, who turned out to be the biggest asshole I've <i>ever</i> dated," she continued, the cheeriness dropping right out of her smile. "And that says something, because I've dated a guy who taught me to say <i>Чтоб тебе дети в суп срали</i> as a matter of course." </p>
<p>"But that's not the point right now," she said, giving herself a little shake. "Point is, while you're distracting Jemma, I'll be doing the same with Fitz, and right before midnight…" </p>
<p>"We meet up at the drinks table, and it's too late for them to do anything about it," he realised, his eyes widening as her plan sunk in. "Oh my God, Daisy, you're right, that's <i>genius!</i> If we do that, they won't be able to dance around it anymore, they'll just have to -" </p>
<p>"Make out," she finished with an extremely self-satisfied expression on her face. <i>"Especially</i> if they bump into each other, <i>literally,</i> when Jemma loses her balance - <i>totally</i> not in response to a tiny quake into her knees, of course."</p>
<p>"Of course, <i>totally</i> not," he agreed solemnly, managing to keep up the act for a full five seconds before breaking and holding up his hand for a high-five. </p>
<p>"Do you know how <i>amazing</i> this is?!" he asked as she stretched up on her tiptoes to touch his hand. "Because working with those two, and watching them undress each other with their eyes, while also <i>denying</i> that they're undressing each other with their eyes, is the most frustratingly adorable thing I have <i>ever</i> seen." </p>
<p>"Welcome to SHIELD," she said dryly, high-fiving him a second time for good measure. </p>
<p>His jaw <i>dropped. </i></p>
<p>"Wait, wait, <i>wait,"</i> he said, holding up both hands. "I think… Daisy, oh my God! I think I finally see why you wanted me to join SHIELD so bad!" </p>
<p>"I thought it was obvious," she countered, trailing her hand (and, he couldn't help but notice, her <i>eyes,</i> too) lazily up and down his body. </p>
<p>"Well, maybe that's what it says on the tin, but the <i>real</i> reason is, you needed someone to get as ridiculously invested in Fitzsimmons as you are, and then help you to set them up," he said in the tones of a judge pronouncing a case complete. </p>
<p>Her lips twitched, but she pretended to look dismayed. "Oh noooo, you've caught me out!" she exclaimed dramatically, pressing a hand against her heart. "My true purpose in life, <i>revealed."</i> She held the act for a second longer before adding, "It's a good plan, though, isn't it?" </p>
<p>"It's a <i>great</i> plan," he agreed, grinning widely at her. "This way, they <i>have</i> to make out at midnight!" </p>
<p>"Can't break the sacred rule of the midnight kiss," she agreed, her eyes sparkling as she grinned back. "It's pretty perfect." </p>
<p>"You <i>are</i> a genius," he told her, bumping her shoulder lightly with his. </p>
<p>She rolled her eyes, but there was only affection behind it. "So you're in?" she asked, bumping his shoulder back. </p>
<p>He didn't even hesitate for a second. <i>"Hell yeah." </i></p>
<p>//</p>
<p>And, with a few minor setbacks (those being Jemma wanting to talk about him and Daisy "flirting in the corridor, and not even being subtle about it, I might add" instead of science) everything proceeded to go exactly according to plan. </p>
<p>Lincoln even managed to whisper that in Daisy's ear when he brushed past her to switch his champagne flute with the non-alcoholic one she had found for him, and the grin she sent him in return, he thought, made it <i>all</i> worth it. </p>
<p><i>I'll go find Fitz now,</i> she mouthed at him as he crossed the room back to Jemma and, inevitably, back to his doom in the form of relentless teasing. (What made it <i>worse</i> was that Jemma's teasing was so <i>sweet</i> that, no matter how hard he tried, he could never get mad at her.) </p>
<p><i>See you at the drinks table,</i> he mouthed back at Daisy, before turning his attention fully back to Jemma. </p>
<p>As he had been expecting, she was waiting for him with a gentle but infinitely shit-eating grin. "Want to share what that was all about?" she asked mock-innocently, tilting her head in Daisy's general direction. </p>
<p><i>"Nope,"</i> he grumbled, glaring resentfully at the floor and wondering, <i>Jemma Simmons, how are you this</i> nice, <i>and simultaneously</i> this <i>level of mocking and interfering? </i></p>
<p>Though, he supposed, he couldn't <i>really</i> talk about being interfering. </p>
<p>Speaking of - "Hey, you're champagne is empty, and it's almost time for the countdown!" he said, pretending to be surprised by this fact even though he had been paying <i>close</i> attention to said countdown all night. </p>
<p>Jemma glanced at the clock and gasped, then gasped again, and louder, when she saw the state of her champagne glass. </p>
<p>"Come on, come on," she said, reaching for his arm and half-tugging him after her to the table. "That was a nice diversion, but you're not getting out of telling me about your little across-the-room flirtation with my best friend." </p>
<p><i>She doesn't know the</i> half <i>of what an excellent diversion this is,</i> he thought, catching sight of Fitz and Daisy approaching the drinks table out of the corner of his eye. </p>
<p>Furthermore, he also noticed that Daisy, by some crazy agent skill (or, more likely, by bribing everyone with ill-gotten matcha pocky) had managed to clear the area all around said drinks table so that it would be just the four of them there. </p>
<p><i>Nice work,</i> he thought, giving them both a mental pat on the back. <i>Everything is working out perfectly. </i></p>
<p>In hindsight, he reflected that he should never even have <i>thought</i> that - because as anyone who had been at SHIELD for more than a few months could tell you, thinking that <i>never</i> ended well. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, he <i>did</i> think it. </p>
<p>And unfortunately, things <i>did</i> go wrong pretty much from there onwards. </p>
<p>The first little bit was okay - he and Daisy had managed to time their respective arrivals perfectly, and, after a subtle quake from Daisy, Jemma stumbled straight into Fitz's arms. </p>
<p><i>And Fitz caught her.</i> </p>
<p>Honestly, that should have been their first warning sign - by all rights, Fitz <i>should</i> have at the very least made some awkward comment, and dropped his hands from Jemma's waist, stepping away from her like the plague and most likely avoiding everyone's gazes for the rest of eternity. </p>
<p>But instead, he caught her comfortably, steadying her with both hands and pulling her close against him like he had done it a thousand times. </p>
<p>Yeah, Lincoln had really thought that - and in hindsight, he really wanted to <i>kick</i> himself. </p>
<p>But in the moment, he and Daisy had been way too caught up with their delight at the apparent success of their plan. </p>
<p>"Oh noooo," Daisy sing-songed, looking very obviously around them. "There's nobody else around!" </p>
<p>"Guess you guys will just <i>have</i> to make out when that clock hits 00:00," Lincoln said, pretending to sigh deeply. </p>
<p>Daisy, too, shook her head solemnly. <i>"Such</i> a shame," she said, cupping her chin in her hands and blowing out a long, pretend-sad breath. "How<i>ever</i> will you deal with it?" </p>
<p>Fitz and Jemma exchanged a quick look, and then, to Lincoln's utter <i>shock,</i> they both <i>smirked,</i> in perfect sync as always. </p>
<p>"Like this," Fitz said simply, leaning forward until his and Jemma's noses were brushing - and before Lincoln could say <i>wHoT tHe bLoOdY hEll,</i> they were kissing. </p>
<p>Lincoln and Daisy were both frozen where they stood, mouths hanging open - but Fitz and Jemma seemed perfectly content to finish their kiss before addressing the elephant in the room. </p>
<p>They took their time about it, too. </p>
<p>But eventually, they separated, resting their foreheads together for a moment and sharing a quick smile that was just for them. </p>
<p>Then Jemma glanced up, catching Lincoln's eye and smirking unashamedly. "Kissing at midnight won't be a problem for us at <i>all,</i> thanks," she said, bumping her nose lightly against Fitz's. "You see - we're dating." </p>
<p>Lincoln had thought it wasn't possible for his jaw to drop any further, but, well, it just did. <i>What. The. Actual -</i> </p>
<p>"What?!" Daisy asked, finding her voice first and gaping at Fitz and Jemma. </p>
<p><i>Exactly,</i> Lincoln agreed silently, his vocal processing capabilities still missing from pure shock. </p>
<p>"How long?!" Daisy asked next, which had, <i>exactly,</i> been Lincoln's next question. </p>
<p>"Since the day we locked up that creepy alien rock for good," Jemma supplied. She turned to Fitz, her expression softening an immeasurable amount as she met his gaze. "Fitz asked me out for dinner, and I accepted." Her expression turned dreamy. "It was <i>lovely." </i></p>
<p>"It really was," Fitz agreed, pressing a quick kiss against her temple. </p>
<p>Daisy waved her hand to attract their attention. "That's great, and I'm really happy for you guys," she said, and there was a bite of steel in her tone, "but why didn't you -" </p>
<p>"Tell you?" Fitz finished, his expression softening sympathetically. "I'm really sorry, Daisy, we needed a bit of space to figure things out, and figure out if we were even going to <i>work</i> in the first place -" </p>
<p>"- We've been best friends for so long, and it would be so easy to jeopardize that," Jemma said, picking up smoothly from her… boyfriend? </p>
<p>What the <i>hell,</i> he still couldn't reconcile that. </p>
<p>"And we were just about to tell you we'd figured it out," Fitz said, picking up the narrative again, "but then Lincoln here joined SHIELD, and we thought…" </p>
<p>"No <i>way,"</i> Daisy interrupted, and Lincoln noticed with a little start that her cheeks were bright red. "I… we're friends, guys!" </p>
<p>"So were we," Jemma pointed out. </p>
<p>Neither of them could argue with <i>that.</i></p>
<p>"And we just thought," she continued after letting that idea sink in for a moment, "we might be able to help you guys figure things out the way we did." </p>
<p>"We knew you were going to try and set us up at some point, Daisy," Fitz said with a sideways smirk. </p>
<p>"And after spending two days with you, I knew you'd do the same," Jemma said to Lincoln, giving him a quick nod. </p>
<p>"So we thought we could use that to our advantage -" </p>
<p>"- because we knew you guys wouldn't think things through properly." </p>
<p>Fitz and Jemma shook their heads at the exact same time, their expressions a mixture of amused and exasperated. </p>
<p>"You <i>really</i> didn't think this through," Jemma said with a fondly exasperated smile. </p>
<p>Lincoln glanced between the two of them, then over to Daisy, and back at then, feeling an odd, uneasy something building in his gut. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly. </p>
<p>Jemma nodded around them, her expression sage. "What a <i>beautifully</i> clear space," she said, throwing Daisy a playful wink. "No-one but us, just like you said." </p>
<p>"And over <i>there,"</i> Fitz continued, looking entirely too pleased with himself, "a very large clock, with an equally large countdown to midnight." </p>
<p><i>"And we all know what happens at midnight,"</i> Jemma concluded, smirking hugely at them both. </p>
<p>Lincoln's gaze jerked up to meet Daisy's, and he knew they realised it at exactly the same time. </p>
<p>Oh, <i>shit.</i></p>
<p>On the other side of the room, the official final  countdown started - <i>"ten!"</i></p>
<p>Dammit, dammit. And they had said it <i>themselves,</i> hadn't they - the midnight kiss tradition was sacred! </p>
<p>
  <i>"Nine!"</i>
</p>
<p>How the hell - how the <i>actual hell</i> - had they failed to see this? </p>
<p>
  <i>"Eight!" </i>
</p>
<p>Of course clearing the entire drinks area would leave them with nobody but each other - again, they had <i>literally said that. </i></p>
<p>
  <i>"Seven!" </i>
</p>
<p>Feeling as though he was moving through a living dream, Lincoln started to move towards Daisy, the countdown and everyone else in the room fading to a dull thrum of background noise. </p>
<p>All he could focus on was <i>Daisy, </i>Daisy coming towards him, Daisy with a shell-shocked expression on her face, Daisy with fury at herself flashing bright in her eyes, Daisy, the most magnificent thing he had ever seen… </p>
<p>Dimly, he was aware of the countdown ticking lower and lower behind him - <i>"Six! Five! Four!"</i> - but his gaze locked on Daisy's, and she was all he could think about. </p>
<p><i>Are we going to do this?</i> he tried to ask her without words, even as he heard the counters take it down to <i>"three!"</i><br/>
.<br/>
"We don't have to, we can just not kiss and have them all be a bit mad at us, what's the worst that could happen -" </p>
<p>
  <i>"Two!"</i>
</p>
<p>In response, something sharp and determined flashed in her eyes, and Daisy closed the distance between them in a few quick strides, wrapping her arms around his neck. </p>
<p>
  <i>"One!"</i>
</p>
<p>She stretched up on her tiptoes, her eyes searching his for a second before she eased herself back down a little, pressing her forehead against his. </p>
<p>
  <i>"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" </i>
</p>
<p>And then they were kissing, his hands instinctively settling on her waist and pulling her close. His entire narrowed down to the feeling of her lips on his, and her body pressed against his, and just - <i>her. </i>Everything about her. </p>
<p>It was a long, long moment until they pulled apart, and when they did, they were both breathless. </p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Daisy said frankly, her voice catching just a little on each syllable - and he thought, beautiful as she was on an ordinary day, <i>this</i> was the best look he had ever seen on her. </p>
<p>"Why are you sorry?" he repeated, noting with mild surprise how out of breath he sounded, too. </p>
<p>She shrugged one shoulder, flashing him a wry grin. "Because that wasn't exactly… part of the plan." </p>
<p>He had to laugh at that, ducking his head. "We're such <i>idiots,"</i> he said, wincing. </p>
<p>"We really are," she said, closing her eyes for a second. </p>
<p>When she opened them again, however, they were filled with the classic Daisy Johnson stubborn determination. </p>
<p>"Fitz and Jemma were right about more than that, though," she said, catching his gaze and holding it firmly. "I have been… dancing around my feelings, for a while now." </p>
<p>His breath caught in his throat, and he thought his heart might actually stop - even though, biologically, he knew that hearts just couldn't stop for things like that. </p>
<p>Still, though, she actually… she actually felt the same way?! </p>
<p>He had <i>thought</i> she might, but he hadn't really let himself hope, hadn't dared let the idea ruin such a precious friendship.</p>
<p>But now… now she <i>felt the same way?</i> </p>
<p>That changed <i>everything. </i></p>
<p>"I've been doing the exact same thing," he said before she could say another thing, figuring it might as well be his turn, now. </p>
<p>Daisy blinked, the same progression of shock, and awe, and then utter, <i>giddy</i> joy spreading across her features. </p>
<p>"I… I didn't want to hope," she admitted, giving a slightly incredulous laugh. "I've always had the <i>worst</i> luck with dating people, and I didn't want to -" </p>
<p>"I <i>know,"</i> he interrupted, cutting her off so he could nod fervently. "I know you haven't, which is why I never wanted to push, or -" </p>
<p>"But you're nothing like any of them," she said, taking <i>her</i> turn to interrupt <i>him.</i></p>
<p>"I hope I'm not," he said quietly, dipping his head to look at the floor. </p>
<p>He glanced up again when he felt her hand on his cheek - warm, reassuring, and above all, <i>loving.</i> </p>
<p>"You're <i>not,"</i> she said firmly. "You're funny, and ridiculous, and sweet, and kind, and… we can joke with each other. We also <i>get</i> each other." </p>
<p>She shook a few strands of hair back from her face, swiping at something that looked suspiciously like moisture at the corner of her eye in the same movement. (He got the feeling, exactly - it was the flood of emotions, so raw but so <i>real,</i> and so <i>amazing</i> it was honestly a little unbelievable.) </p>
<p>She laughed, and it was a little watery, but <i>happy,</i> so, so, so genuinely happy. </p>
<p>"And I'm really glad of it," she said, brushing her thumb lightly across his cheek. </p>
<p>He bent his head so their foreheads were brushing, murmuring out a soft bit deeply sincere, "me too." </p>
<p>And as she stretched up to kiss him again, soft and slow and sweet, he just thought, <i>yes.</i> He really <i>was</i> glad. </p>
<p>So, so glad. </p>
<p>//</p>
<p>"I can't believe our genius plan <i>failed,"</i> Daisy bemoaned later that night as they were dancing to the last strains of Hunter's crappy British pop music, watching Fitz and Jemma disappear out of the door hand in hand. </p>
<p>Barely a moment later, though, she tilted her head, looking up at him through her lashes as she slowly leaned forward to rest her head on his chest. </p>
<p>"Though," she continued, slightly muffled by his shirt, but still clear enough, "I guess it wasn't <i>really</i> a failure." </p>
<p>And, looking down at <i>Daisy Johnson,</i> in <i>his arms, </i>her eyes closed contentedly as she leaned against him, swaying to the music… he had to agree. </p>
<p>Tonight had really been anything <i>but</i> a failure. </p>
<p>
  <i>
    <b>The End.</b>
  </i>
</p>
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